Ten years ago on September 21, 2006, NHS officials backed down and handed campaigners a victory they never dared dream of.

When the NHS announced £40million of swingeing cuts prompted by a Whitehall savings target on March 28, 2006, many services were in the firing line.

Stroud Maternity Unit was one of them but the decision makers did not reckon on a campaign which was as well-informed as it was vociferous, and county Health Overviews and Scrutiny Committee which asked some very hard questions.

And in a meeting at Shurdington Village Hall on Thursday, September 21, 2006 primary care trust leaders backed down - primarily due to public demand.

Stroud Maternity Matters campaigners got right in to the finances and challenged the NHS officials who were making the decision.

From March 29 to September 22 2006, Stroud Maternity featured in 191 stories published in The Citizen. It dominated the news landscape for six months.

Graham Harbord, who co-chaired the group, said the meeting of three primary care trusts (which became one soon after) was a nerve-racking experience.

“Even on that last day we were worried. With some things, you know what will happen but with this campaign we could not be sure," he said.

“What it has become in those 10 years is amazing - the NHS has invested in it with capital funds and it is providing a service for mums which still surprises many and is a world away from the bigger units in cities."

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A total of nine hospitals, 18 day centres close and 500 jobs were under threat – former Cotswold and Vale Primary Care Trust chief executive Daniel James said this year that closing Stroud Maternity Unit was 'stupid' and would have been a 'panic' measure.

Caroline Saturley was a Stroud midwife then, and now runs The Vault and The Canteen in Nailsworth, and The Hog pub in Horsley with husband Greg.“All the campaigners felt completely committed to the cause, it was a landmark case for all midwife-led units at the time, and the evidence has been produced since then regarding all the issues we were campaigning for," she said.

Fin Pizzey and Graham Harbord

“It was truly from the bottom of our hearts that we had the conviction that we were right to safeguard the ethos of outstanding midwifery care that the Stroud Maternity Unit did and continues to nurture. We felt that by safeguarding the Unit, we were able to hang on to the autonomy that other similar units and areas where midwives worked in a similar way. We were able to draw a line in the sand to stop these from closing too. The legacy that we left is still alive now. It was an outstanding example of people power and great team work. There was such a great power in the support from everyone in the community and so heartening.

“There was also a great deal of anxiety about us midwives losing our jobs as we came under a huge amount of scrutiny while we got on with just doing our jobs as usual.

“As I reflect upon it now, we were overall just really brave! The support from the Citizen was very important, and every day I visited families they gave me lots of encouragement.

“When we went up to Parliament on that extremely hot day and stood up in the House of Commons Select Committee, and was asked to go up again the next day with more information, I felt really listened to.

Caroline Saturley

“I felt that we had turned the corner, and that finally someone important had started to sit up and really take notice. When we got the news that we had been successful in saving the unit, we were so utterly relieved, and delighted!

“Everyone who was involved in the campaign still has a great bond and that lovely little maternity unit is still thriving. That's our legacy. Babies born in our beloved Stroud for years and years to come."

A note of caution was sounded by former Stroud MP David Drew, who marched against his own Labour Government's plans to cut costs in 2006.

“It was an amazing campaign which captured the imagination," he said. “But a similar thing is happening now, with the Government cutting at the NHS and I can see a time when the unit could be under threat again."

Dr Mark Porter on the march

Stroud Maternity - 300 births a year

Stroud Maternity is a small midwife-led unit which manages approximately 300 births per year, now run by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The unit is open to all women with uncomplicated pregnancies who are considered suitable to have their babies in a 'low risk' environment.

The team of experienced midwives there are skilled at helping women to have an active birth and can advise on alternative forms of pain relief, including aromatherapy and the use of the birthing pool.

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Assistant divisional director of midwifery and nursing, Dawn Morrall from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Over the last few years, we have invested in the facilities in Stroud, working closely with our staff, the community and the Stroud Hospital League of Friends to develop the unit into one that truly meets local needs.

“We are delighted that improvements help to make our unit such a popular destination for pregnant women in the area.

“Stroud Maternity is an important element of the choice we offer to pregnant women in the county. As well as offering a relaxed, home from home birth environment, the unit also provides postnatal care and support for women transferring from other units, along with parent education classes and baby massage.

“Our team are passionate about providing the very best care we can and it is a real privilege for us to provide care for families in Stroud and beyond."

David Drew and Mattie Ross on the march

From The Citizen, September 22, 2006

Stroud Maternity Hospital and The Dilke Memorial Hospital have been saved from closure.

After months of hard campaigning, health chiefs bowed to public pressure and recognised the proposal to shut Stroud's midwife-led unit was against Government policy.

And GP's have until October 16 to come up with a business plan to save Cinderford's Dilke.“Words cannot describe how delighted we are that finally we have a decision," said ecstatic midwife and Stroud Maternity Matters member Mandy Robotham, after a special meeting of all three Gloucestershire primary care trusts yesterday.

Leaders at the Shurdington meeting finally took decisions on where to make changes to try to contribute £24 million-worth of savings to the county's £40 million National Health Service funding gap.

“It's been a long hard road but we must be vigilant it does not happen again," warned Ms Robotham, mindful that midwife care is to undergo a national safety review, over the next two to three years.

“We are so happy for the people of Stroud – they marched, they got behind this campaign."

Victoria Temple and Torin Dunn (right)

Forest campaigners were pleased West Gloucestershire PCT has opened up to working with the Forest GP cluster, which is mapping out a future for the Dilke, but said the pressure was on them now.

“We are grateful for what the PCT has done," said West Dean councillor Bill Evans, who sits on Gloucestershire County Council's key health overview and scrutiny committee which objected to these two cuts.“Although we welcome the decision for Stroud, that's a very different economic test compared to the Dilke."

GPs have until October 16 to submit the plan to the new Gloucestershire PCT, a merger of the three PCTs, which comes in to being on October 1.

That Stroud's future is secure and the Dilke has seen a huge turnaround in fortunes is remarkable – these two hospitals in particular stirred up deep passions which fired marches, protests, demonstrations, and letter writing over the past six months, including a 12 week consultation period.

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They were both put on the chopping block because county NHS bosses needed to balance their books during this financial year.The Gloucestershire PCT is still likely to end the year £12.7m in deficit, although it is hoped £6.5 million could come back from a controversial “pool" for the poorest south west PCTs.

PCT leaders warned that saving Stroud and keeping a midwife-led service in Cheltenham, while plans are made for a £19 million maternity unit in Gloucester, would mean other services suffered, but could not say where the axe would fall.

“If our residents want us to spend more money on this area of care and duplicate services, this will mean money will have to come out of other services," said Ruth FitzJohn, chairwoman of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT and new chair of Gloucestershire PCT.

Claire Randall with daughter Becky

That argument did not wash with SMM, who also felt their figures, which halved health chiefs' estimate of a £400,000 saving, had been ignored.

“I had to question the integrity of the consultation then," said SMM co-chairman Graham Harbord. “We have worked out figures which show Stroud could cost as little as £100,000."

His six month-old daughter Emma was one of several babies who came in to the world with parents fighting to save the unit that served them so well.

“We were wetting the baby's head in the Black Horse at Amberley when I picked up the paper and saw they wanted to close it," he said, “I knew we had to fight for it.

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Another baby is Oliver Brown, son of SMM activist Caroline.“Thank God for that," she said afterwards. I would like to thank everybody for their time, the health scrutiny Committee who have been hugely supportive of us – they made sure our voice was heard."

HOSC chairman Andrew Gravells said: “I have never believed in the argument that if you don't cut a service, somewhere else will be hit.

“That sort of pressure is out of order.I think this decision vindicates the line the HOSC has consistently taken."

Stroud MP David Drew said afterwards it was a sensible decision.“There's no medical reason to close Stroud Maternity and the savings are ridiculously small," he said.

Coun Elisabeth Bird, Stroud District Council cabinet member for health and wellbeing said: “We all breathed a huge sigh of relief when we heard this wonderful news. “Credit must go to the community of Stroud and in particular David Miller and the League of Friends' Task Force, who have campaigned tirelessly for retention of this local service."